


Whet

by calico_fiction



Series: little cuts [17]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drunkenness, Flirting, Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pre-Slash, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 19:30:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20441309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calico_fiction/pseuds/calico_fiction
Summary: After defeating Thanos, Loki covets Bruce's attention.





	Whet

**Author's Note:**

> Rated for inebriation and for Loki being horny.
> 
> For anyone who is concerned about characterization and/or continuity: [spoiler alert] Bruce has not actually been drinking any alcohol lmfao.

Loki and Bruce are the only two... well, they're not Avengers, but teammates, at least for the battle that they've just all won together. They're the only two _teammates_ that don't have their own rooms inside Avengers Compound, and thus they are the only two left in the common area. They will both probably retire eventually to Thor's apartments. Or perhaps Bruce will follow Romanov or Stark to bed instead; Loki doesn't know what either of those situations is like, but both seemed to watch him mournfully all night and Loki feels greedy and smug to have Bruce still here with him for however long that lasts. It is Idunn only knows what time in the morning, Thor and Loki and Valkyrie having led the rest in a victory revel the likes of which surely had only been seen on Old Asgard previously. Loki is warm and loose with drink, and judging by the way Bruce is letting him sprawl all over him when there is a whole empty couch worth of space - not to mention all the other furniture in the room - the other man is just as inebriated. Bruce runs a hand through Loki's hair and Loki hums happily and presses even closer.

"So," Bruce murmurs. Loki can feel his voice vibrate between them, chest to chest as they are, and shivers. "Things are going not too bad for you, huh?" Loki hums again, this time in acknowledgement. He's not particularly interested in talking, for all that Bruce always manages to make himself interesting. He'd rather continue to drink, and ply Bruce with drink too, and bask in the excuse to get closer, closer, closer. As close as he can get before it's time to pull away again, to return to his brother's side while Bruce goes to whomever it is that holds his true loyalty - be that Thor as a member of Asgard like it seems he wants, or maybe Valkyrie if their connection is more than camaraderie, or Romanov or Stark; he could have a place with any of them without effort. But for now he's here, with Loki, and Loki, proudly selfish, will take as much of him as he can. He throws a leg over Bruce's lap and tucks his face in so tight to Bruce's neck that when his lips touch it could have been an accident.

"Pretty convenient that you happened to be there to save the lives of everyone who doubted you," Bruce continues. He's disappointingly even-toned, but the laughter in his voice is still gratifying. Loki loves a man who can appreciate taking advantage of a good opportunity. He laughs, breathily, against Bruce's pulse.

"Fortuitous coincidence," he says, not bothering to sound innocent. Bruce laughs, the sound of it husky because of the low volume. Always so considerate, Bruce is. It only makes it all the more thrilling when he decides not to be. Loki could simply watch Bruce live his life and be entertained for the whole of it (though he would prefer to participate).

"Of course," Bruce agrees, grinning so hard that he gets some of Loki's hair caught in his mouth and has to sputter it out a second later. Loki bursts into drunken giggles at the sounds he makes, and Bruce follows him into hysterics. They laugh until they run out of breath, and then laugh again when they catch it. By the time they finally manage to calm down into sporadic chuckles they have fallen sideways across the couch, Loki now with his head resting on Bruce's soft belly and one of Bruce's hands still in his hair. Bruce reaches with difficulty over to the coffee table, aiming for his drink. He misses, just slightly, and ends up with two fingers in the glass. He pulls them out and flicks off champagne with a small noise of distaste before grabbing the glass properly. In the moment between Bruce getting a grip and Bruce bringing the glass up to his mouth, Loki entertains the fantasy of suckling the drink from Bruce's fingers. He tucks it away for later, when he's not so drunk and he can devote the full strength of his imagination to it. Bruce struggles to drink while horizontal, slurping, and Loki starts to giggle again listening to his body gurgle as he swallows.

It's quiet between them after Bruce finishes his drink and drops the glass over the edge of the couch onto the carpet with a dull thunk. There is only the near-silent whirring of the appliances in the bar, the soft whisper of the smooth strands of Loki's hair against Bruce's lightly calloused fingers, the rise and fall of them breathing together. Bruce's body is warm and soft and strong underneath Loki's. He begins to doze.

"We should probably go to bed," Bruce whispers. He doesn't move, but his hand goes still atop Loki's head like he's preparing to.

"It's tradition to watch the sunrise after a victory revel," Loki makes up on the spot. His heart races, not because of the lie but because of how badly he wants the two of them to stay here. It's a flimsy trick, some of Loki's worst work. If it were true then surely Thor and Valkyrie, at the very least, would still be here as well. There's a pause as Bruce decides whether or not to pretend to believe him. Loki holds his breath. And then, finally, Bruce begins to pet him again.

"Where did that tradition come from?" Bruce asks. His voice is full of laughter again and Loki smiles into his wrinkled shirt. He's not trying to trip Loki up - they both know perfectly well he already knows Loki is lying. He just wants to hear what else Loki can come up with off the cuff. He just likes to hear Loki's tales as much as Loki likes to tell them. Loki's heart keeps right on racing, not out of nerves. He holds down another giggle so that he can speak instead.

"It's an affirmation of life," he decides. "And a looking forward." He pauses, considers, but not for long owing to the buzz still making his head light, and then less than cautiously floats, "Not dissimilar to the tradition to kiss at the moment of the new year." He hears Bruce swallow hard, but no other reaction seems to come. Loki brushes aside disappointment, resolving all over again to soak up as much of Bruce as he can get even though - and especially because - he, as he always does, wants _more_.

They doze together for an hour or so, Loki keeping his face buried in Bruce's belly where he's soft and vulnerable, uncaring of the way the plastic shirt buttons press uncomfortably into his cheek. Loki sits up when the first light begins to eek through the tall windows. Bruce blinks partially awake, mumbles drowsily, and then lets his eyes flutter shut again. Loki feels no guilt in taking advantage of this opportunity too like so many others. He does watch the sunrise, sort of. He watches the sun come up in the way it sparkles in the grays of Bruce's hair, the way it reflects off the metal frames of his glasses, the way it highlights the bones of his face and casts a deep shadow in the hollow of his throat.

"How much of you will you let me steal?" Loki wonders of Bruce's sleeping, glowing form. He teleports into standing so that he doesn't disturb Bruce with his movements. He watches for just a moment more and then turns away, heading, as he is expected, towards Thor's rooms to sleep alone in a bed. But it's not so much an admission of defeat, nor sacrifice or altruism, as it is a strategic retreat. This question is no different than any other.

There's only one way to find out.

**Author's Note:**

> Come chill with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/penlex)!


End file.
